Tag: Rivaldo Fairweather

Rivaldo Fairweather named to John Mackey Award watch list

Fairweather is entering his first season at Auburn but is generating some buzz already.

[autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] is the latest Auburn Tiger to make the watch list for a prestigious award. Auburn’s tight end was named to the John Mackey Award watch list on Friday, the Friends of John Mackey announced.

Fairweather is entering his first season on the Plains but impressed in his three seasons at FIU, catching 54 passes for 838 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-4, 251-pounder has the athletic ability to be a difference-maker in the passing game and has a knack for making big gains, he averaged 15.5 yards per catch for FIU, and with more targets, he has a chance to help turn around Auburn’s passing attack.

The John Mackey Award has been presented annually since 2000 to the most outstanding collegiate tight end and is voted on by the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Jyaire Shorter named a top-10 player in the SEC West ahead of 2023 season

ESPN’s Bill Connelly feels that the North Texas transfer will be a great addition to Auburn’s receiver room.

During his SEC West preview, ESPN’s Bill Connelly documented what Hugh Freeze has done to correct Auburn’s passing troubles.

“Auburn’s 2022 offense could only run, so Freeze brought in Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and five receiver transfers,” Connelly said.

Connelly is keeping an eye on one of Auburn’s five receiver transfers.

Included in his preview were his ten favorite players from the SEC West. He mentioned North Texas transfer Jyaire Shorter.

Shorter was a valuable asset to the North Texas offense for the last five seasons, with his best season coming in 2022. He reeled in 23 passes for 628 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Shorter caught 41% of passes thrown his way with only five drops.

Connelly feels that Shorter will be a great deep-ball option for Auburn.

In the past 10 seasons, only two players have averaged at least 2.5 yards per route with a catch rate under 50% (and 50 minimum targets): Michigan State’s Jalen Nailor (2021) and Shorter at North Texas (2022). Doing so requires a lot of deep routes. Deep routes are fun.

Shorter joins a long list of exciting receiver transfers. Auburn also added [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] from Jackson State, [autotag]Nick Marder[/autotag] from Cincinnati, [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] from Ohio State, and [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] from FIU.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 13 Rivaldo Fairweather

Get to know Auburn’s newest tight end.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.

Up next is transfer tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag]. He was Auburn’s first transfer addition of the offseason and brings some needed playmaking ability to the tight end position.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Lauderhill, Florida

Height: 6-4

Weight: 251

Previous School: FIU

Class in 2023: Junior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star / No. 348 in Florida / No. 119 TE

Career Stats

Year G Receptions Yards YPC YPG TDs
2020 (FIU) 3 10 165 16.5 55.0 1
2021 (FIU) 7 16 247 15.4 35.3 1
2022 (FIU) 12 28 426 15.2 35.5 3

PFF Grades

Year Offense Receiving Pass Blocking Run Blocking
2020 85.7 90.8 69.7 63.4
2021 52.8 60.4 55.2 38.6
2022 61.9 67.9 55.2 44.3

Depth Chart Overview

Auburn returns veterans [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag] at tight end but Fairweather is a different kind of player. He was a big play machine for FIU, averaging 15.5 yards per catch, and figures to become a weapon in Auburn’s revamped passing attack.

He has the athleticism to line up wide and should be a focal point in the passing attack as he is a mismatch due to his 6-foot-4 and 251-pound frame. Fairweather should win the starting job in a deep and talented tight end room and should see a heavy dose of targets from quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

Rivaldo Fairweather’s Photo Gallery

On3 Roundtable highlights Auburn’s playmakers at wide receiver

Who will be the Tigers’ top receiving targets in 2023?

The 2023 edition of the Auburn Tigers will look vastly different.

Auburn’s offense will see notable changes at offensive line and wide receiver. The latter position group was discussed on a recent episode of The On3 Roundtable.

Host J.D. PicKell welcomed Auburn Live’s Justin Hokanson to chat about the Tigers last week. Auburn will have several new faces lining up to catch passes from either [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] or [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] this season thanks to the transfer portal. Players such as [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], and [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] will be tall targets for Auburn’s quarterbacks, but the one transfer receiver that Hokanson is most looking forward to watching is FIU transfer [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag].

Fairweather comes to Auburn after reeling in 28 catches for 426 yards and three touchdowns last season at FIU and is poised to help out the Tigers at tight end.

He’s only played football for four or five years of his life, but played basketball, played soccer in high school, super athletic and super raw,” Hokanson said. “That kid’s got NFL potential written all over him. He’s going to be really interesting to see. Is he involved in just the red zone or is he involved all the way up and down the field? He’s a guy that’s going to be a big target.”

Outside of the new transfers, Auburn’s leading receiver from a season ago returns to the roster.

[autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] caught 26 passes for 493 yards last season for the Tigers. Hokanson believes that Auburn’s fresh receivers will provide relief to Johnson.

“I think there’s a lot to be determined. I don’t know that there will be a premier pass catcher,” Hokanson said. “I feel like you’ve got some guys that can maybe turn into reliable guys across the board but I would probably start with those four.”

According to Pro Football Focus, three of Auburn’s top offensive players reside in the receiving corps.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Jackson State WR Shane Hooks announces commitment to Auburn

Jackson State’s leading receiver in 2022 is now an Auburn Tiger.

The numbers keep rolling in for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers.

The Tigers have landed its’ second wide receiver transfer of the week as [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], Jackson State’s leading receiver from the 2022 season, announced Sunday that he would be transferring to Auburn. He joins the Tigers after being previously committed to Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.

After the departure of Deion Sanders to Colorado, there was a mass exodus of players from the Jackson State roster. Several Jackson State players such as quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter followed Sanders to Boulder. Hooks elected to go another direction, thus moving into the SEC.

Hooks previously played three seasons at Ohio before moving to Jackson State. As a Bobcat, Hooks reeled in 34 catches for 635 yards and six touchdowns. Hooks added 947 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons at Jackson State. As a senior in 2022, Hooks led the Tigers in receptions with 66 catches for 775 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Outside of his playmaking abilities, Hooks brings much-needed height to Auburn’s receiving room. He stands 6-4 and weighs 205, which will mesh well with [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] (6-6), [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag] (6-5), [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] (6-4), and [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] (6-3).

Hooks is the second wide receiver to commit to Auburn over the last seven days. Auburn added former North Texas wide receiver Jyaire Shorter last Tuesday.

Here’s a full report card of what Shane Hooks brings to the Plains.

Former Colorado receiver chooses Arizona over Auburn

Montana Lemonious-Craig elects to stay out west after visiting Auburn last month.

Auburn football head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has had plenty of success by gaining talent from the transfer portal this fall. However, one of his top targets has elected to keep his talents on the west coast.

[autotag]Montana Lemonious-Craig[/autotag], best known for having a spectacular day in Colorado‘s spring game last month, announced Saturday night that he will stay in the PAC-12 by transferring to Arizona. He chose the Wildcats over Auburn, Cal, and Michigan State.

Lemonious-Craig was part of Colorado’s mass exodus of transfers from Colorado, but his departure was a bit of a surprise. He caught three passes for 154 yards in Deion Sanders’ initial spring game in Boulder and declared for the transfer portal the very next day.

Soon after entering the portal, Lemonious-Craig paid a visit to the Plains. After his visit, Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live predicted that he would sign with the Tigers.

Despite Auburn not being able to land Lemonious-Craig, they have still added plenty of talent to the receiving corps by landing FIU’s [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], Ohio State‘s [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag], and North Texas’ [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=702301474]

Former Jackson State WR Shane Hooks visited Auburn on Tuesday

Auburn may not be done adding wide receivers despite the addition of Jyaire Shorter.

Despite the addition of former North Texas wide receiver [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag] on Tuesday, the Auburn Tiger may not be done adding receivers.

According to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover, Jackson State transfer wide receiver [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] unofficially visited Auburn on Tuesday.

Hooks entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer on Dec. 21, 2022. He then committed to Ole Miss on April 20 but backed off that pledge on April 28. That is when Auburn got involved, offering him a scholarship on May 13.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder also has offers from UCF, Utah, Mississippi State and Liberty. This is his second time in the portal, he started his career at Ohio before transferring to Jackson State prior to the 2019 season.

He did not play in 2019 or 2020 but started to emerge in 2021. He caught 16 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns in six games.

Hooks became Jackson State’s top wideout last season, snagging 66 passes for 775 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories.

Auburn has already added three wide receivers between the two transfer windows, [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] (Cincinnati) committed during the first window with [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag] (Ohio State) and Shorter (North Texas) committing during the spring.

They have also added former Michigan State quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] as they look to overhaul a passing attack that struggled last season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1364]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Auburn becomes team to watch for Montana Lemonious-Craig’s next destination

Auburn is making a strong run to land the talented receiver formerly of Colorado.

Auburn has made a splash in the transfer portal this week.

The week started with former Appalachian State linebacker [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] signing with the Tigers and ended with the signing of two talented offensive skill players, Michigan State QB [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and Ohio State WR [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag].

When the hand is good, sometimes it pays to keep playing. That is what Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is looking to do with former Colorado wide receiver [autotag]Montana Lemonious-Craig[/autotag], who Auburn has recently received a prediction to land.

On3’s Jeffrey Lee submitted a prediction for Auburn to sign Lemonious-Craig ($) this week after he paid a visit to the Plains during the weekend of April 29.

Lemonious-Craig does not have the resume of a seasoned veteran, as he caught just 34 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns in three seasons at Colorado, but the potential to be a big-time receiver is there. He caught the attention of the college football world during Colorado’s spring game last month by catching two touchdown passes from Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

The possible addition of Lemonious-Craig would add to an already revamped receiver room, as Auburn has already signed [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag], and Caleb Burton from the transfer portal. Lemonious-Craig provides a big frame at 6-2, 190 pounds, and would add speed to the mix at receiver.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f1jz1vgtfhzk6ner image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=702301474]

Tigers could make push for former Alabama commit Martavious Collins

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently lists Auburn as the favorite to sign Collins, a three-star TE from Georgia.

Tight end is a specialty position for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. One of the first big splashes Auburn landed in the transfer portal was [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] from FIU, but the Tigers could be getting even stronger at the position.

An article from On3 written by Drew Schott explains how Auburn has become a potential landing spot for [autotag]Martavious Collins[/autotag], a three-star recruit from Rome, Georgia who is ranked No. 513 overall and the No. 28 tight end in the class of 2024 according to On3 and is currently given a 63.2% chance to commit to Auburn, the highest of any program who has offered Collins.

The article included input from Cole Pinkston of Auburn Live.

“Auburn, and tight ends coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag], have made Martavious Collins a top priority since January. At the time, he was still committed to Alabama. Now, Collins is the blocking specialist/H-back type that Aigamaua wants in his class. Auburn hopes to take two tight ends, but getting Collins was priority No. 1.”

Collins could make a recruiting class that already shows promise look even better for the Tigers in 2024.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]

On3 lists two Auburn transfers as potential breakout players

These two transfers could be household names by the end of the 2023 season.

There are plenty of fresh faces on Auburn’s roster which has many fans excited for the upcoming season. There are two in particular that could have breakout seasons at their new home.

On3’s Matt Zenitz recently profiled 20 offensive newcomers across the country that could potentially turn into breakout players in 2023, and two of Auburn’s transfer portal additions made the list.

The first Tiger mentioned on the list is FIU transfer, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag]. Fairweather, a tight end that reeled in 43 passes for 644 yards in three seasons at FIU, and his 6-5 frame will provide a tall target for Auburn’s quarterbacks to throw to this season.

Next up is someone that has made several lists this offseason, offensive lineman [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag]. Last season at Tulsa, Wade participated in 816 snaps at left tackle, allowing just five sacks according to Pro Football Focus. Auburn needs a boost at the offensive line position and may have found it in Wade. He, along with Avery Jones and Gunner Britton, will truly revamp the Tigers’ offensive line.

Other players of note to make the list include Alabama‘s Malik Benson, Florida‘s Graham Mertz, and Louisville’s Jamari Thrash.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]